I’m one of the few that likes him. He annoyed me at first, but his ridiculous enthusiasm won me over. Like Larry David, at fist you think, “how could anybody really be like this?” Then after a while, he just becomes funny.

As much as I like Subban, I think the decision to scratch him for tonight’s game is the right one. Sitting out will only improve his game in the long run, as he comes to realize what is expected of him in Martin’s team-first approach to the game. Plus, I think Weber deserves a good look. He may be the point man on the power play that the Habs have been missing. The Habs with Weber are a better team than without Weber. I still would like to see Gorges, Spacek, and Hamrlik get some time off to rest and recover during the long season. There are some back to back games coming this week, that would be an excellent time to let some of the veterans get a breather.

If Weber proves he is ready to play full time, there is no need to trade for Kevin Bieksa, as has been widely rumored. Bieksa will be an UFA after the season, and if really wants to play in Montreal, the Habs will be able to sign him this Summer without giving up any assets.

One more thing, when Subban comes back, I think Subban and Weber together at the points on the power play would be a good fit. This would cut down Hamrlik’s minutes a tad, which would keep him fresh to play against the opposition’s top lines.

Yeah I’m still rubbing the Price thing into my friend’s faces because they said last year Price isn’t an NHL goalie and some people even said he sucks and will never make it in Montreal. Halak was our saviour last year, but guess what, Price is the goalie to put us up to the top of the standings.

Yeah the immediate reaction from around the league that we need to grab a defenceman right away is ridiculous. We’re 7 deep right now, with a couple of projects in the A. Nothing to worry about right now.

But just like last year everyone equates great goaltending with the goalie being great. While Price has been pretty spectacular, I think the defensive effort of the team is still going unnoticed. Even without Markov this team is responsible in its own end.

In the end our weakness is still putting the puck in the net. If we can grab another top 6 forward (preferably top 3, and a Right handed shot on the wing) I think it can turn us into the team to beat from the East.

People are way to worked up about Subban. I guarantee in 10 games this will be a non-story either way. As long as the peanut gallery has its way the sky will always be falling. Subban has sat 2, he’ll sit another. At some point he’ll get another shot and he’ll be back to making the crowds “oooohh” and “aaawww”. The kid is fantastic.. and he’s still a kid. If there is anyone in that room that I want him to eat a dinner with – it’s Josh Gorges. This situation is entirely media and fan driven. There is no reason for overly simplistic, and completely unproductive arguments about how the situation is being handled. This is a Kilimanjaro being made of a mole-hill. What a terrible problem we have – 7 reliable defensemen.

even though i do not understand French very well, I laways watch the Habs on RDS over TSN or CBC. TSN and CBC consistently put down Montreal and talk up the Leafs. What a joke. Maguire is annoying to hell….i have never met anyone who likes his commentary, and I do not understand how he maintains his employment.

Of course not. Getting a weak signal through an old AM radio we got from the polar bear express which is our only form for transportation to the outside world. If the vikings don’t come knocking I will sit by the fire listening to the game

I knew we were going to get a big dump of snow December 6 at least 3
weeks ago. And I knew we would get even more December 7. How? I booked
to have the winter tires installed December 8. Happens every time. So
all you folks out there who think my predictions are wrong, well
just….naaa naaa na naaaa naaaaaa.

The PK soap opera continues on HI/O. Man, if it’s not one thing it’s
another. First he’s benched because he makes a couple of mistakes. Then
he’s benched because JM is a “moron”.
Then he’s benched because of excessive cockiness. And now we hear it has
something to do with his attitude in the room. So here I sit looking
for someone to blame for all this because that’s what we do best here;
lay blame. How am I supposed to know who to blame if there are so many
reasons? Who’s right? Arrrgghhhh, I’m so confused!

Personally I think the Price bashers had it right last season. The more
you dump on the player the better he’ll be in the long run. With that in
mind I think it’s time to shift the spotlight directly on to PK. This
is entirely his fault. He’s immature, rude, obnoxious and has a weak
glove hand…er…lateral move…I mean…backhand. Yes, backhand. He
must be traded now while his value is at its peak. DO IT PG!!!

I love this place. I really do. Nowhere else on this magical interwebby
thingy is so much psychosis displayed by so many over so trivial a
matter.

JM indicated something very important in his pre-game interview on the main page of HIO…sitting PK and playing Weber shows the depth of the teams D…I think this is important when we consider we just lost Markov, our best world class D-man for the season.

I think a lot of people and GM’s around the league have been think that the Habs and PG will panic and go out and make a panic deal for another defenceman to try and fill the void left by Markov. Obviously the more perceived “panic” involved in any deal at this time will cost us a lot in talent and picks in return…I think the very best situation now is that we continue to play Weber at this time and sit PK (who everyone knows is a strong up and coming talent) and keep winning as a team. The longer we go with winning now in our post-Markov era using relatively the unknown talent of these two rookies, the more leverage we have if we want to make a move for another player later on.

If we trade from a position of perceived strength and depth on the blueline and not from a panic position we are more likely to pick some other teams pockets than have them fleece us of our future.

And who knows, if all goes well on the next road trip and through December, we will set ourselves up for a possible trade for a scoring power forward or point man that will help take us into the cup final this year without losing next years crop of talented players.

As much as I think the habs need a solid #1 D-man to take some of the ice time away from Spatch and Hammer, the habs simply can’t afford to take on more contracts that won’t expire next year. The list of D-men that can fill that role is extremely short, I think McCabe, Bieksa and someone else kinda maybe sorta fits those conditions, but given what the habs have right now, it might be better just to hold out.

Markov goes under the knife soon I think. Once the news is out that he will either make a fully recovery or not, you can expect the discussion to start.

Oh right, I also have this feeling that the habs don’t really want to make a trade right now. If the opporunity came to unload Gomez’s contract somehow reared its mythical head, the habs would probably jump on that, but.. yeah.

The thing is, Chorra wanted Subban to sit down, shut up because Subban was a Hab. He used Mike Richards, a league-renowned cheap shot player to back him up, because when Richards talks about showing respect, we need to listen. We should ask David Booth if we need to take a lecture from Richards about respect. Or anyone Richards elbows have met in the last few years.

Subban never made a throat slash gesture at the WJC. He never was suspended in the AHL for making an obscene gesture to an official. Nazem “Magic Hands” Kadri did these things. Subban entered training camp saying “I’m here to play for my spot.” and did so. Kadri went in, played like he had earned a spot and didn’t have to try, his only good performance when he had over 7 minutes of PP time. He didn’t start playing hard until he was exiled to the AHL, which according to Dan Chorra, was an injustice against God and Man.

We’re tired of him playing favourites. He mentions the Loafs making the playoffs after their little 4-game win streak, now that they’re in the dumps he’s not mentioning how badly he hyped the team.

R. Whitney brings offense and could quarterback our PP. With 21 pts on the 6th worst team in the league he would be second in scoring behind Pleks…not a bad bit of offense to add to a team that has neither a PP quarterback or much offensive scoring at the best of times.

For SD and others who are claiming that no-one is saying (pace Don Cherry) that the Habs themselves want P.K. to modify his attitude, here is a (poor) translation of the Yvon Pedneault article linked to above by Mr. Boone:

“It is clear that Martin hasn’t liked the attitude of Subban for several weeks. It is clear also that he hasn’t appreciated the comportment [the mot juste] of his young defenseman toward veterans. The youngster gives flippant (cocky?) answers and is therefore not always [behaving] in the team’s best interests.”

4 million cap hit for another two seasons is a bit much to swallow. With Gorges coming up and Markov and Hammr and Gill expiring, I don’t think I would want to tie my hands around him. But a player like him would work.

And we might have to give up something significant to get him. So, I don’t know. Maybe we can look at some other options.

Physcal Chemistry and Ecology…yuck! Cramming…I should have gone to the classes. Now, I ahve to watch them for the first time AND memorize shit. Long night ahead. Like yesterday, over with Molecular Biology which was a horrible exam. Suffice to say I’ll be studying all day. wish there were more hours in a day or that humans didn’t need any sleep!

I have it on good authority on January 6th, 2011 Sid will have some issues when Tommy Jagr, Hal Gill and Josh Gorges unite to make him miserable once more as they aren’t very nice to him by forcing him off of the puck and *gasp* occasionally making physical contact with him.

On another note, I think the attention Croaby is getting cannot be shoved aside but I think the Wings are not getting any credit for the amazing season they are having. 17-5-3 is an amazing record and if you watch them play, they’re just such a force. It’ll be fun to watch the Habs match-up to them. And Nik Lidstrom, no words to describe the defenseman he still is.

Sad that all people talk about is Crosby and his numbers. He’s good, we got the message, now get over it.

PK’s ego is what makes him special. When was the last time you saw any Hab talking smack to opposing players. I think he was singularly responsible for driving Crysby crazy during the playoffs. JM should turn the kid loose!

The Finnish National Team is calling on the services of C Joonas Nattinen at their WJC Evaluation Camp, Nattinen is a 2-time member of their WJC Squad and has also played twice for their Under-18 team. The 19-year old center coming off of an achilles tendon injury from the start of his season had 1G, 3A as a 17-year old and 4A as an 18-year old in the Under-20s. Hopefully, this tournament is an opportunity for him to break out as the Habs need to sign him this summer to retain his rights.

I like Gomez a lot as a player. I like all the elements of the game he brings and how he fits JM’s system, regardless of his cap hit or his early season points slump, I see him as a valuable cog in the machine.

However, this is an opportunity to see what kind of organizational depth the Habs have. So if Gomez is out for a few games, do they call up MaxPac and use one of the centres they have currently in their line-up or do they call up Desharnais or someone else?

I hope so, because Picard has been bad (his first bad outing since the beginning, so he’s forgiven) and Weber hasn’t exactly helped the PP like he was supposed to. As was stated before – he’s too small to overpower anyone along the boards. Subban is bigger and has a large stick – much better along the boards.

Interesting, if Gomez is short term, they could call up Pacioretty for a cup of coffee you could shift him with Eller and Cammy for a 2nd line. Put Halpern back with Darche and Pouliot, than generate a line of Pyatt-Laps-Moen? Something to try.

Maxwell being injured makes the call-up of a new centre rather easy for MTL though.

You thought Kostitsyn was good on that 5 minute major? Really? Always second on the puck? A dissenting view is automatically called trolling. Okay, how’s this. Go Habs Go. Go Habs Go. Do you feel better now?

You showed up to complain today, that’s all you’ve done so far and you were wrong on the goal against Price to boot and went “1 goal on six shots” as your argument even though the shot was deflected by his own defencemen.

The Martin system at its finest. Habs are lowest in GA in the East’s top-8, and second lowest in GF! (Both stats may change depending on what Boston does tonight …) But Habs & Bruins are low-scorers, low-goal-allowers, and they’re tearing up the Northeast (and, certainly true of the Habs: the East)

Apparently he just left atthe beginning of the second period. They said that he has a lower body injury. His back was apparently “hurting”. And the thing is, he didn’t really take a bad hit or anything…

STUPID STUPID!!!!!! HOW DO YOU COME UP WITH THAT ??????? WE NEED THAT BIG BODY & SOMEONE WHO IS SO KEEN ON FIGHTING FOR A WIN. I COULD THINK OF SOME OTHERS WHO SHOULD BE SITTING IN THE PRESS BOX. PUNSKER!!!!……………….GO HABS GO!!!!!!!!!!HOPE TO SEE PK BACK NEXT GAME

Nina…please. It’s a joke. I posted it as my tag this evening after all the bull being spoken about why PK was benched, why he’s still not playing, why he’s not like in the dressing romm, why Martin hates him and all the terribly silly BS stories flaoting around out there. It’s like with Price last year. The kid had a tough season and many people wanted him gone and look at him now.

Rest assured, it’s a joke

Reverse psychology worked for Price…Trade PK now while his value is high. DO IT PG!!

Nah… PK will do just fine here in Montreal. Remember we have 3 veterans that are UFA and 1 restricted at the end of the season. This situation Montreal is in with three young prospects fighting for a couple of jobs is a good one to have. It will pay dividends in the off season, IF they can all step up and show they are NHL ready.

Ridiculous. He was one of our best defencemen in the playoffs last year. He had a couple bad games, and Weber had a couple good games. Subban is going to be in Montreal for a long time to come, and he’s got the potential to be a superstar.

He’s good with the puck, and good off it (if you’ve been paying attention), he makes strong breakout passes (both short and long), he relieves pressure in our end better than all of our defencemen at the moment (save an injured Markov)… believe me, I could go on about the positives to his game.

What kind of deal do you propose would actually net us any kind of return from Edmonton? We’re not in the business of building other teams for them.

Gee that sounds vaguely familair… Wait, it will come to me… Something about hearing that last year… about… about… about a goalie? Was it a goalie that people were saying would never fit in in Mtl? It was someone, who was it…? You know, I really can’t remember… BECAUSE WE’RE WINNING.

So subbban sits again. A healthy competition between two defensive prospects, a learning curve , and on and on , maybe Cherry was right the kid is a distraction , one thing is for certain , he is still catching press . I wonder about whether he will ever really fit in Montreal. He is a free spirit , a la Ovetchin , whose skills cannot be subjected to a system , they will wilt and dye, He will take on the persona of a kidi i.n a drug induced stuppor ,easy to handle but lost. A suggestion , mr Gauthier , look to Edmonton for a trade, and set this young throughbread looose in that pasture where he can grow with the likes of Hall and Eberly et al , they need a young defence man and he will have time to grow.

Hey NEWFIE_DOG. Tried to respond but looks like the thread got deleted. I was typing a response that simply pointed out the difference between using the b word casually (as in bitch and moan) and using it to insult. My old school, country upbringing comes into play there. Never mind.

Reverse psychology worked for Price…Trade PK now while his value is high. DO IT PG!!

Yeah…the comment does not exist. I will say one thing about Crosby. Until lemieux convinces him otherwise he is UFA in 2013. That leaves two years and a few sleeps for Montreal fans to convince him to come home.

I wish I had the -Comment does not exist – button. It sure would make for less belated apologies.

So subbban sits again. A healthy competition between two defensive prospects, a learning curve , and on and on , maybe Cherry was right the kid is a distraction , one thing is for certain , he is still catching press . I wonder about whether he will ever really fit in Montreal. He is a free spirit , a la Ovetchin , whose skills cannot be subjected to a system , they will wilt and dye, He will take on the persona of a kidi i.n a drug induced stuppor ,easy to handle but lost. A suggestion , mr Gauthier , look to Edmonton for a trade, and set this young throughbread looose in that pasture where he can grow with the likes of Hall and Eberly et al , they need a young defence man and he will have time to grow.

“Start the season with a clean equipment bag and a freah bucket of febreze!”-CharlieHodgeFan

I don’t know if anyone can imagine what it must be like to in P.K.’s shoes this season. He’s not even 50 games into his career and he’s been the subject of all kinds of disproportionate attention and some controversy. The kid is great human being, a future leader, I think, and it must be really overwhelming for him to feel out his place.

If he were in Atlanta or on the Islanders let’s say, then it’s little to do with nothing. But on in Montreal, because of the city, some, and because they are a veteran laden club, (also because they’re good) he must learn his place. It’s little things, like lining up last, behind others for meals maybe, or not being so anxious to program the tunes in the room, that show respect for others. No one wants to overhaul the kid’s exhuberant personality, just give it a tweak.

Well stated, Robert. It may seem like such trivial matters, the examples you gave, but in truth dressing rooms are very traditional places where all the little things add up to respect for your teammates and for the veterans. There’s a very good chance this type of thing is going on in other rooms around the NHL, but other teams are not Montreal so there is very little media attention being given to them. It’s probably more of a sign of the attitude changes coming into the game as the younger generation takes over.

True, I’d bet this kind of thing happens everywhere, all the time. In Montreal however, where there is a need to understand everything that happens, it gets more coverage than it warrants. Fans need, and the media feeds!

Price is 3rd in all-star voting behind Crosby
and Letang. Write in candidate Sean Avery
has more votes than last season’s Art Ross
and Hart winer. What a joke these box stuffing
on-line voting things can be.

And yet, somehow I have a feeling that those who want him buried in the minors would be screaming blue bloody murder when our Power Play would inevitably look a lot more like that last 5 minute stinker..

I promised not to get into G discussions for the month. Too many hot tempered exchanges over it for my liking. Let’s see how they adapt to a new PP lineup. They were doing well the last couple of weeks.

Reverse psychology worked for Price…Trade PK now while his value is high. DO IT PG!!

Just looking at the standings … really impressed with the comparative GF and GA of the current top-8 in the East … the Habs have the lowest GF and the second-lowest GA. Boston has second-lowest GF and lowest GA, and they’re sitting 5 points behind us. This is a team playing Martin’s system, with excellent goaltending and relying on some consistent but sparing offense from any of its lines. It’s working so far ….

if/when price shuts them down, it will be interesting to see how JM plays that – we have 3 days off though until next game, but part of a back-t-back set. I would sit price against toronto, I agree. but well see

I speculate that McQuire’s comment about the Halak-Eller trade being sheer larcency for the Blues was only motivated by his desire to demonstrate that he knows the meaning of the word larcency. It’s already clear. Eller is finding his comfort level and he is even beginning to dominate his shifts. He is one tough cookie to play against. This guy is Guy Lafleur with an edge and that trade was one helluva good deal for the Habs.

Good call SF. Whoever they call up now is going to sit in the pressbox anyways. Give Desharnais and Max a call if things start to turn. Until then play this roster. Or if they want someone then go deeper into Hamilton for the next best callup to give that guy a looksee (wonder who?).

Reverse psychology worked for Price…Trade PK now while his value is high. DO IT PG!!

After a meshugana 2nd period, the boys got their shite together and played some hockey. Fitting that they would win by the same score that Gros Bill did as Captain back on this day in 1961. Hopefully PK will be back Fri and Picard can sit.

So… if Gomer’s hurt and Markov’s hurt, that gives us around $8.7 million in cap space to work with. Maybe we could help the Pens with any potential problems they might have? I think they may have that top-6 forward we’re still looking for!

I would agree that I think P.K. is the guy you would want playing on Friday night.I think after his ” rest ” he would come out and make the wings players think each time as they go for the puck.Not like he is huge or anything but he has lots of hustle and tends to throw everything into a check.

Haha, cute. But isn’t Crosby only 5’10 or something like that? Doesn’t really fall into that category of big center that everyone seemed to think we needed a few years ago. Plus, don’t you think his whining and stick breaking might ruin the chemistry in the room?

You can also go to WalMart and get no-name version of Robaxicet, combination of pain killers and muscle relaxants..I have had a bad back for years, These work well, just have to make sure you do not over do or you get used to them and build up a resistance.At one point a guy I worked with asked me what I took and I told him ” 2 of these green and white pills”, apparently he spent the night on the floor not able to move . . .All depends on your tolerance . .

Yeah well they don’t hand out trophies for what ifs or coulda, shoulda, wouldas. It is what it is. Price’s play has been stellar and so has Thomas’. Habs and Bruins are neck and neck for being the stingiest teams in the league. No excuses!

Didn’t get to watch the game so I’m on NHL.com and the Canadiens webpage to watch the highlights but it keeps on stopping.I try pausing it so it could load but it doesn’t work. Does anybody else have this problem or know how to fix it?

I like your line-up except I would have Pouliot with Eller and Cammy, move Moen to the 4th and Weber to the 3rd. Cammy has to play with a guy with hands, not Moen. did you see that pass he laid on Moen’s tape tonight? A thing of beauty and not even a SoG. I love his toughness but Moen can’t play on the 2nd line. I really think that Eller, cammy and Pouliot could be magic

Oh, please! Boone will just bench Robert for three games. He’ll have to walk around Brantford with a rent-a-cop trailing his every move, Ian will tell us thow this will be a great learning experience for Serious while TripleX will find some obscure columnist who’ll question Boone’s ability to run a blog, and Punkster will start a “FREE SERIOUS” campaign; then claim victory when Serious gets reinstated after JD sprains his pinkie and Boone realizes that without SF09 he’ll have to travel to Hamilton to do the Prospect Report.

what class is that …..one with an opinion.I like run and gun hockey and he is suited to that style ,speed with a high risk reward. underwritten with a high degree of talent,ala the edmonton teams of the gretsky era , and perish the thought a bit like the habs of the seventies or lest on betray my age , the flying frenchmen .

Subban needs coaching, like many kids his age. If you are indeed as old as you pretend to be, you ought to be old enough to know better than to post such foolishness. You think it’s 1979? Teams that play disciplined hockey win Cups. You want run-n-gun, watch the Capitals. They play the “Ovechkin System” and in a million years that system will not win another Cup.

Don’t you think that having The Great One, Messier, and an All-Star D had something to do with those Edmonton Cups? Can you not see that the CH of 2010-11 doesn’t have a giant Hall of Fame wrecking crew in the lineup?

The “class of poster” thing is a myth – there’s people who watch and understand modern hockey and there’s everyone else. This site demonstrates it daily.

I dont need to prentend to be as old as I am , Its a fact , Yes and I remember how the great one and messier ended our run for five ,I watched the habs win more cups then you might remember,and I am familiar with disciplined teams winnning cups .Your bravado betrays your inexperience , go change your diaper it stinks ……….

Can’t compare the two times because the game has changed drastically over the past two decades. The science of sport is honing skills better than before. We’ve learned from Roger Neilson, and have turned teaching from game tapes into an art. Young players are taking the spotlight away from veterans on a more consistent basis.

Positionally you can tell the difference: in net there’s no such thing as a ‘standup style’ anymore; defenders don’t have the time to set up an end to end rush; the neutral zone is more like a war zone.

Experience with the Canadiens in the 70s doesn’t mean a whole lot in today’s game. It’s faster, more physical, better coached, and rules are actually enforced (holding/hooking/interference). Looking to the glory days is an exercise in nostalgia, and doesn’t give us any insight into how to build a hockey team in today’s environment.

Moving along, I disagree that style and speed = high risk. Like twocents says below, all you need to do is look at Pleks or Hossa (+140 on his career!)- or even the dreaded Daniel F., one of the better two way guys in the game, to see that players can be creative and defensively responsible as well.

PK can be creative all he wants. But he also has to stop turning over the puck, and telegraphing his point shot so far in advance that JoJo predicted it back in the late 1980s. I don’t think that is too much to ask.

I just watched Cherry and his ‘performance’ at Toronto city council. It was the lowest of all lows. He was a complete self-centred jackass. Having Cherry there was a major lapse in judgement by the Ford brothers.

I think my wife summed it up best when she said that Canadians won’t be able to make fun of Sarah Palin anymore.

I meant to stir the pot , one game yes two maybe but give me a break three, games , or until we lose again , then Webber sits, win or else , gun to your head diplomacy win your in lose your out , with rookies no less …..

you’re focusing on all the negatives. weber has played his best two games ever with the habs. subban made mistakes and had too much pressure on him…so hes getting a break. this will help him keep his cocky-ness to an effective level and give him a small wakeup call. maybe jm is trying to showcase the rest of the D for a potential trade or something. or maybe he just feels that pk is the odd man out of a pretty solid d core we’ve been running for the past couple games.

PK will be with this team for a very long time and will get back in the game soon. for the first time since he joined the team, i think gorges needs a little break….he looks wounded out there…as anyone would playing with the speedy gill

I really think one game was enough , progressive discipline , Subban on balance thus far has been a positive , and sitting him this long has just focused more attention on him where it is not needed ..

Can anyone come up with a good reason not to use him as a forward? He’s fast, he’s tough, he can dangle, he’s got a good shot, we don’t need him on D for the time being, and we’re icing a forward corps that includes Tom Pyatt. Our goals-for right now is pretty pitiable. If you can use Weber as a forward, why the hell can you not use P.K. as one?

Come on folks. You gotta find the humour in this. I mean, the PP sucked for so long yet we continued to win, then the PP started to come together, then we lose Markov and the PP holds its own, then PK is out and still it’s holding on…and now this. Adversity. As Churchill said, “If you’re going to go through hell, keep going”.

Reverse psychology worked for Price…Trade PK now while his value is high. DO IT PG!!

Oh Pierre McGuire…he just can’t bring himself to say that Gomez is valuable – first he blames the poor 5 min PP on a lack of Markov (ignoring that the recent hot streak started after Markov got injured), then he blames the poor 4 min PP on a lack of Subban (ignoring how the hot streak has continued in Subban’s absence).

It’s not rocket science McGuire…Gomez is a key member of our power play, even if he isn’t scoring, he’s vital.

The US Team can afford to be a lot more particular with the teams they compose now and Tinordi is just 18, he could make the squad as a 19-year old. Leblanc not making Team Canada in his draft year wasn’t a disaster.

Gomez! Just keep doing what your doing me son,
the team is winning and the points are still going in the standings
column. Never mind these people that think you have to score goals to
be a winner. we know that what you do for this club is second to none,
and Martin will use you where ever, and you are able to adjust your
game accordingly.

By the way do these so called Hab Fans even
know that Alfredson and Spezza have not registered a single point in
the past 8 games. Do you think that Ottawa is ready to dump them,
ridiculous!!

We are a winning team this year boys and girls, if
you are not happy with them and want to keep finding fault, then maybe
you would like to remain behind with the losers.!

Try to enjoy
the positive strides that we have made over the past 5 or 6 years, it
will lower your blood pressure, might even make you lovers again. There
is so much to enjoy about our club, don’t dwell on the BS.

Ian, I love ya and your insight is usually spot on. But I have to disagree with ya on Gomer (who I like but am disappointed with)

I think the fact that Jacques Martin himself called him out a week or so ago proves that he actually isn’t doing his job.

Also, how many times has he had a shot on net and passed it to a player covered by two defenseman?

The fact of the matter, recently at least, we see this pattern:

Gio and Poulit with Gomez- playing horribly, not scoring. We take Pouliot away from him, he starts scoring. We take Gionta away and he starts producing. We put AK with Gomez and he disappears. Put him back with Pleks and he’s back.

Now Cammy is with Gomez and the only scoring he’s done is on the PP or, last game, when they took him away from Gomez!

We may or may not beat the Sens. Remember the Habs always play down to the weaker team’s level.This usually results in a loss.

I think this PK thing is terrible and that it shouldn’t be happening. If I were PK I’d be saying to my agent…get me the hell outta here I wanna play for a team that will let me shine.

And if anybody here thinks Weber is or ever will be as good as or better than PK you’d be wrongo boyo.

I don’t know what PK’s contract salary is…I guess entry level at about 800,000 ? No matter with his endorsement deals he soon won’t be worried about money so much ( ’cause he’ll have plenty ) and he therefore won’t be afraid of asking for a trade.

I think a rift has been created and that it will not heal. I guarantee you for PK we could get the forward and the D man we covet.

Some of you thought that the Habs are show casing Weber. Nope their icing PK and talking deals.

We all get into the bottom of the drum at different points of our lives. Just hang in with this guy, he will pick himself up to expectation as all winners do. They are not Russian robots, they are just guys like us.

Man you guys are hilarious….seriously the worst fans in the nhl…go to pensionplanpuppets.com and read the comments…they cheer for the worst team in the league but they actually CHEER for the team…EVERY game win or lose…not constantly bitching like pre-pubescent girls

Why Why!! do we continue to bang the puck at the net? yes shoot any time you can, but come on, make a play in front and beat the tender that way. But to continue to just bang the puck, well, forget it.

Now that that little rant is over, 3rd period belongs to the hungry!!!

Theses two points are not important to staying ahead of the Sen’s, it is very important in staying the 2nd best team , BY POINTS, in the league.

ottawa is playing plecks the same way the flyers play him..real tough and plecks has trouble when this happens…today the pp is poorly managed…darche is not a pp player same with halpern…we are missing players on the pp who have quick hands…some of these players when pressured cough up the puck as they dont have the skill to make a play. we have had pp success lately but many of our goals have not come from structured plays and when those goals stop coming we will be in pp slump again..ak46 played well in the first but he was terrible in the second

Habs’ centers are scrambling and the forwards aren’t sure how to set up, Camms looks like hes trying to do it on his own, though they all seem to be backchecking. High shot count from bad angles even though Price made a few good saves. Let’s hope they can adjust for the third.

hahahahah did anyone see the TSN promo for tomorrow’s Leafs-Penguins? Something about whether the Penguins can withstand the “barrage from the Leafs’ snipers” with like three clips in a row of Kessel. Man they pimp that team so hard it’s got bruises

I saw a lot of fumbling the puck. But it’s not like Gomez is the only guy who can gain the zone. It’s a ridiculous notion. Is him being off the PP a detriment? Absolutely, but is it as big of a detriment as losing Markov and Subban cumulatively? No. There’s the bigger problem. Picard for example, was horrificly bad on PP in the second period.

See, that is a very keen insight, of the type that had me thinking–after your exchange with $0.2 yesterday– that the all-around unworthiness (and, I believe, plain unpopularity) of Jack Todd having been established, have you ever thought of angling yourself forward as a replacement for him on The Gazette?

You like writing; you are recognised for your Habs acumen; you are strongly opinionated (not pejoratively meant) but fair-minded; you love the Habs but aren’t a homer. Would be a win for everyone (even morally salutory for Mr. Todd) I should say.

Subban in the press box for 3 straight? Okay, I understood the benching in light of the Oilers gaffe and wanting Subban to learn a lesson about his spot not being guaranteed but this is going a bit far for me now. Senators have a sleepy offence and this might be more of an offensive battle than we’d like.

Subban is not being sat out for on ice mistakes, there are matters of conduct and discipline within the team that is being addressed in his case.

There’s no big shocker here, nor a particular incident Dube points at. Just a rookie who may not understand that in certain team situations he must not act like he’s a vet. His play on the ice does not dictate his standing in the room.

Too bad the audio clip is in french. I understood none of it. However, from what you are saying I certainly do get the Reader’s Digest idea of it.

Interesting, to say the least, but no big deal or shocker as you say. Perhaps a case of a rookie getting just a little too much media attention, and having it go to his head a bit. I know Josh Gorges took PK out to dinner the other night (as per interview on TSN), and this could be a move by one of the more level-headed and respected players on the team taking Subban aside and explaining a few things to him. None of this is having an extreme, dire, effect on the team. The team is playing well with or without PK in the lineup, as they are with or without Markov in the lineup. Funny how some Habs fans don’t seem to grasp that, eh! Sure, one could make a case that the Habs are better with PK in the lineup, but not overwhelmingly better I would say. I like that JM is paying attention to these things and addressing it in a direct way. I feel there was a divide in the room a few years ago, and this has to be prevented from occurring again. PK is a rookie. He should be treated as such. That is only fair to the rest of the team, each of whom had paid his dues in the same way not so long ago. Respect is not given, it is earned. It doesn’t matter if it is on the ice, or in the room.

But the best part about McSplooge is that when the Habs are winning he first goes into denial (the other team has them on the ropes) and then he gets depressed. His voice goes really soft and monotone. It is like he is really hurt – emotionally.

Just read that a Bell Centre usher has called in a fully-equipped unit of the U.S. military’s Joint Special Operations Command’s 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment – Delta Combat Applications Group to keep an eye on Soobs in the pressbox.

Now, I’m no military tactician nor strategist – I just play one on the Internet – but it just seems like a bit of overkill.

Dallas got a Cup from the Niuwendyk deal at the end of the day, Dallas got a ton of ground and inroads as a franchise with that win. Calgary might have a Cup themselves with Iginla, if they had built a team around him.

The worst part about the game being on TSN is that if the Habs lose, we have to hear Pierre McGeel rant about how the Habs are not for real and that people are just over reacting and that the Habs will start to lose somewhere. Geez! And anyone else notice how this season, most of the time, Pierre is always with Chris Cuthbert and Ray Ferraro is with Gord Miller? Coincidence?

Took Bell 10 minutes to figure out my new video stream and block me. Thankfully, Thursday afternoon I get my new service installed. Damned if I’m renewing on my Bell cell phone at the end of my contract either.

Agreed the Habs totally don’t want a franchise player…wait what? The habs recognize PK as a fantastic player, but he needs to learn, and he will! Not a big deal, the sky wont fall because Subban sat for a few games.

“I don’t know half of you half as well as I should like; and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve.”
– Bilbo Baggins

ok 25 gpi 1st in nhl, 16 w 1st in nhl, .935 sv pct 3rd in nhl, 1.96 gaa 5th in nhl, 4 so 2nd in nhl….yeah those are some stats for ya….please stop wasting space on this site with your negative and completely moronic posts.

You clearly haven’t been here that long. The site douche’s like exit would only blame a goal like that on a defenceman when it was halak in net. That same guy that has seen more pulls this season then an unlicensed massage clinic.

I think I know more than most about hockey and believe my opinions are almost always reasonable and thought out.-manapart.

I wouldn’t be too upset if we lost this in OT (giving the extra point to a non-contender) in order to justify bringing back P.K. for the nasty bruisin’ back-to-back we have coming up. We need Subban’s nasty for those games and he’s going to come out of the gates like a bat out of hell. I wouldn’t want to be the first guy he hip checks in his first game back.

don’t know if anyone else noticed this, but my gf pointed out a pretty ridiculous freudian slip on the part of darren pang on TSN… comparing Subban to Pietrangelo he said piet does things “the white-the right way” any one else catch it?

but he benched the best d-man on the team. kept an un-needed d-man on the roster instead of sent to hamilton – er i mean as the media tells you gullible – “a learning process” and the masses swallow this garbage.

3 days between games – martin does not know how to get them ready AGAIN! easy to play the next day but give them 3 days off martin doesnt have a clue. tonight 5th such time 3 or more days going into game will be 1-4 after tonight!